Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

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By: DianaPosted: 12/4/17Updated: 11/10/20

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Bread sauce is a simple classic British side served on Christmas Day next to roast turkey slices. Similar to stuffing or dressing, bread sauce is made with stale bread and milk that is cooked with onion and spice to infuse.

Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (1)

If you’re British or live in the UK, then you know that Christmas dinner isn’t complete without bread sauce! I mean, you might think that bread sauce is kinda weird, but trust me it’s delicious!

This bread sauce is SO good, your gran will never have to make her famous cranberry sauce ever again. (Sorry gran!) In fact, once you taste this bread sauce, you’ll want to put it on everything.

What is Bread Sauce?

Bread sauce is a classic British dish that dates back to medieval times. Back then, people would use bread to thicken their sauces, hence the name. Making bread sauce from scratch is very easy and comes together in less than 30 minutes (not to mention it tastes a million times better than any of the pre-made bread sauce mixes). It also uses simple everyday ingredients such as milk, butter, and seasonings sitting in your cupboard.

How to Serve Bread Sauce?

Bread sauce can accompany any kind of poultry (e.g. chicken, goose, etc.), but I prefer pouring this rich and creamy sauce over my roasted turkey. While it’s best served warm, it also tastes fabulous cold on a turkey sandwich the next day, that is if you have any bread sauce leftovers.

How to Make Breadcrumbs?

As the name suggests, bread sauce uses bread – but not sliced bread. Bread sauce is made with fresh breadcrumbs, which is what gives it its thick texture.

You can always buy pre-made breadcrumbs at the store, but making your own breadcrumbs is very easy and less expensive (and everyone can use a little extra money in their pockets around the holidays). It’s also a great way to use up old bread.To make your own breadcrumbs, cut up the bread and leave it out to air dry overnight. Before making the sauce, add the now stale bread to a food processor and pulse until you have coarse breadcrumbs.

If you forget to leave your bread out overnight, you can always cut the bread into chunks and bake it in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 250°F/120°C. After the bread is lightly toasted but not browned, transfer it to a food processor and pulse until you have coarse breadcrumbs.

Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2)

This bread sauce is incredibly versatile and can easily be adjusted to suit your family’s taste preferences. For example, if you want a stronger onion flavor, slice the onion before adding it to the milk. Adding garlic is optional as well but gives a lovely flavor to your bread sauce.

Make Ahead: Another reason I love this recipe: it can be prepared up to three days in advance, which means more time to spend with family and friends and less time in the kitchen. That’s what the holidays are about, right? When you’re ready to serve, reheat the bread sauce in the microwave or on the hob. Enjoy!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (3)

5 from 11 votes(Click stars to rate!)

Bread Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Author: Diana

Print Rate Recipe

Bread sauce is a simple classic British side served on Christmas Day next to turkey slices. This sauce is made with stale bread and milk that is cooked with onion and spice to infuse.

4 servings

Bread sauce is a simple classic British side served on Christmas Day next to turkey slices. This sauce is made with stale bread and milk that is cooked with onion and spice to infuse.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (500ml) (2 ¼ cups) whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons (¾ oz) unsalted butter
  • 1 medium (1) yellow onion whole, peeled
  • 2 medium cloves (2) garlic
  • 9 (9) cloves
  • 2 (2) bay leaves
  • 1½ cups (100g) (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs
  • ¼ teaspoon (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) salt

Instructions

  • Stud the onion all over with cloves.

    Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (4)

  • In a saucepan,over low-medium heat, simmer milk with butter, onion with cloves, garlic, and bay leaves for 15 minutes.

    Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (5)

  • Using a sieve or a slotted spoon, remove the onion and aromatics and strain the liquid and return the liquid to the saucepan. Adjust the heat to low.

    Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (6)

  • Add breadcrumbs and stir for a few more minutes. Season with nutmeg and salt and serve.

Notes:

  • Make Ahead: This recipe can be made 3 days in advance, and can be reheated either in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 127kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 382mg, Potassium: 205mg, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 325IU, Vitamin C: 2.5mg, Calcium: 153mg, Iron: 0.1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Little Sunny Kitchen

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Reader Interactions

Leave a Review!

  1. Anthea Holloway says

    We love bread sauce in our family and I always make it from scratch although you can buy the packet variety which, we think, is nothing like as tasty.

    Reply

  2. Leila Benhamida says

    I.never tried bread sauce before or heard of it. Sounds nice .

    Reply

  3. Helen of Fuss Free Flavours says

    Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (13)
    Bread sauce is something that looks like it shouldn’t taste good, but is such a delicious addition to a perfect Christmas dinner. I find it is a good left over food if too much is made, and even good cold.

    Reply

Older Comments123

Traditional British Bread Sauce Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is bread sauce made from? ›

The basic recipe calls for milk and onion with breadcrumbs and butter added as thickeners, seasoned with nutmeg, clove, bay leaf, black pepper and salt, with the meat fat from roasting often added too. The use of slightly stale bread is optimal.

Why do we have bread sauce at Christmas? ›

The Thickening Power Of Leftover Bread

Meats took center stage on these tables, but not without accompanying soups and sauces, as medieval medicine believed a meal's temperatures and textures should all maintain a certain balance. Thick bread slices were also used as "trenchers," or plates to serve food upon.

Where do they eat bread sauce? ›

Bread sauce, a sauce made with milk, breadcrumbs and spices, is a staple at traditional Christmas dinners in England. The turkey sits in golden splendor on the carving board.

Does M&S sell bread sauce? ›

M&S Bread Sauce (400g) - Compare Prices & Where To Buy - Trolley.co.uk.

Where does bread sauce originate from in England? ›

Instead of using animal fat or eggs to thicken sauces as we might in contemporary recipes, the people of medieval England would use leftover stale breadcrumbs as they were cheaper and more accessible.

Why is bread sauce so good? ›

When well-made, this sauce turns into a velvety, creamy concoction of milk and breadcrumbs delicately flavoured with bay leaf, nutmeg or cloves.

What does bread sauce taste like? ›

For the uninitiated, proper bread sauce contains nothing but bread, butter, milk and cream, an onion and some spices. It should look a little like porridge and taste creamy and mild and ever so slightly fragrant.

What is the most famous tradition when it comes to eating at Christmas? ›

Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used.

Do they have cranberry sauce in the UK? ›

Cranberry sauce is often eaten in conjunction with turkey for Christmas in the United Kingdom and Canada or Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, and it is only rarely eaten or served in other contexts there.

What is the most famous sauce in America? ›

Ketchup, the all-American favorite condiment, reigns supreme as the most popular sauce in the United States, followed closely by barbecue sauce and hot sauce.

Where is the most delicious bread in the world? ›

World's best breads: the list of winners
  • Roti canai (Malaysia)
  • Pan de bono (Colombia)
  • Butter garlic naan (India)
  • Nan-e barbari (Iran)
  • Pan de yuca (Colombia)
  • Focaccia di Recco col formaggio (Italy)
  • Baguette (France)
  • Naan (India)
Oct 4, 2023

Is it OK to freeze bread sauce? ›

Stir in the butter, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg, then pour into a warm serving jug or bowl. Or leave to cool and chill or freeze for up to 1 month until needed.

Can I freeze Delia's bread sauce? ›

Hello Elaine, Yes you can freeze it ahead of Christmas without the 2 tablespoons of cream. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Re-heat gently, and then add the cream and it may need a splash of milk as well if it seems a bit too thick.

Why is supermarket bread so cheap? ›

The question you should be asking is "why is supermarket bread so cheap?". The answer is that the supermarket does everything it can to cut corners and produce bread as quickly and cheaply as possible. They use high-speed mixing, a ton of additives and lots more yeast.

Who makes M&S bread? ›

Our Collection sourdough loaves, baguettes and rolls are made to an exclusive recipe at Village Bakery, an award-winning spot in North Wales run by brothers and third-generation bakers Robin and Christien Jones.

Does bread sauce contain milk? ›

A survivor of the medieval bread-thickened sauces, the traditional British bread sauce is made with milk, butter or cream, and bread crumbs, flavoured with onion, salt, cloves, mace, pepper, and bay leaf, with the fat from roasting often added as well. So a traditional bread sauce isn't typically vegan.

What do Italians call dipping bread in sauce? ›

Bread is the solution and there is a method – there's even a word for it: scarpetta. Scarpetta means “l*ttle shoe” in Italian.

What sauce is made from flour butter and milk? ›

Béchamel sauce (also known as “besciamella” in Italian), is a creamy 3-ingredient white sauce made from butter, flour and milk. It's most commonly used for mac & cheese and lasagna Bolognese, but plays a key role in many authentic Italian pasta dishes, pizza sauces and casseroles.

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